Group Special Enrollment

This is the period when groups who do not meet employer contribution or employee participation requirements can enroll in a group plan.

Group submission paperwork can be submitted to MIBS starting Thursday November 1, 2018.

The last date for submission to MIBS is 12p.m. on Friday December, 14, 2018.

Note- Later submissions (those closer to December 14) need to be complete without any missing information or they will not make the deadline.

1. Group must still be a business eligible for group coverage

2. Only available for the small group market (1-50)

3. Employer does not need to pay any portion of the employee premium

4. Employee participation requirement is waived

5. Perfect for that group that is still on Individual policies

6. Group premiums are usually lower and offer richer benefits than comparable individual plans

7. Businesses on individual policies can have access to a large PPO network with a group plan

8. All carriers must participate with the group SEP

Sales Ideas

• Collect all the names of groups that you have quoted but who did not purchase a group plan

  • Contact them again in October to see if they would be interested in purchasing a group plan without paying anything toward their employee’s premiums.  Most owners would want to purchase a group plan over an individual plan for their family.   Employees currently enrolled in an individual plan could also save premium money and have access to a larger network so they might be willing to pay 100% of their group premium.

• Do you have any groups whose total employee count is approaching 50 but they are still not offering group insurance?

  • Health premiums are high and it is often difficult for a business to afford paying anything toward their employee’s premiums so they cannot meet participation.   If this group’s employee count goes over 50 they will be required to offer group health and will be subject to penalties if group health is not offered.   Don’t wait for the group to go over 50 because BCBS rates these groups for not offering group health.   Enroll the group during the Special Enrollment and avoid this issue.

• Do you work with any businesses that have 1099 employees?

  • Humana may write that group as long as one W2 employee enrolls.   Realtors, financial consulting agencies, and insurance agencies are a few businesses known for hiring 1099 employees.  These can be written throughout the year, but they can offer group coverage during the SEP as well.

What types of businesses can you target for marketing SEP?

• Small “mom and pop” businesses that are eligible for group coverage but cannot afford to contribute to their employee’s premium
• Restaurants (under 50 total employees) often cannot meet participation or contribution requirements
• Lawn service companies
• Brand new businesses that cannot afford coverage for employees but would want the coverage for the owner’s family

Use our marketing documents to create a marketing program for this exciting limited time enrollment period!

Sending this information out to prospects using these materials is a great way to catch their attention and lead to more sales.